CURRENT MISSION

I am currently on a Watson Fellowship, exploring the South Pacific for a year, learning about outrigger canoeing

ABOUT ME

So I've currently got this amazing fellowship that allows me to explore the South Pacific for a year learning about outrigger canoes. I want to learn how to make them and what people are doing to make them go faster. This journey is taking me all over the place and I'm having a great time so far.

So some more about me. I graduated university in 2008 with a dual degree in mechanical engineering and philosophy. I'm currently looking to go on to graduate school for ocean engineering when I get back from my Pacific excursion.

As far as my interests go the two big ones are rowing and brewing. I've been rowing for 9 years now and that was what got me into outrigger canoeing. I've only started brewing recently, but I've become a avid fan. Particularly big fan of IPA style beers or anything with a nice hop-kick.

PHILOSOPHY

No regrets.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I've only just found out about this and since I'm traveling won't be able to give back too much until I get back home. Hoping to open up a couch then!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

None so far

Interests

Rowing, brewing, boats, much of anything to do with the water.

• beer
• boating
• traveling
• canoeing
• rowing
• engineering

Music, Movies, and Books

I read primarily non-fiction, especially like biographies or business stories.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

The recent thing I've done recently was participate in a Round-Raro relay race. This is a ~34km outrigger canoe race. Each 6-man boat is paddled by a 9 man team with 3 paddlers in the chase boat. Every 10 minutes or so the chase boat paddlers are dropped in the water, the canoe comes blasting in at full speed, some paddlers jump out and the fresh paddlers pull themselves in. All this is done at full speed, the canoe shouldn't slow down (our boat was a little novice though and for many this was our first time, we slowed down quite a bit a few times).

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Cook Islands

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States